Crowe shines at film awards night

Russell, you did a great job. Among the viewers who watched the AACTA Awards on television last night, that's what plenty of people are talking about today in their offices.

Russell Crowe's role as host added gravitas to the AACTA Awards.

Photo: Belinda Rolland

Russell Crowe hosted the entire film and television awards ceremony last night in Sydney and it must be said, he was charming, funny, sincere and well-liked by both the gathered audience and a wider audience of television viewers on Ten.

Sure, the press usually writes endless stories about the scandals and the splits and the fashion fails, but really, truthfully, this time around Crowe – and his Oscar-winning cohorts – deserve a simple "good on you".

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Nicole Kidman shares the stage with Crowe.

Photo: Belinda Rolland

Crowe was one of four of our esteemed Academy Award winners who turned up to the second annual AACTA Awards (formerly the AFI Awards) last night at The Star in Sydney. Geoffrey Rush, Cate Blanchett and Nicole Kidman were there too.

It was an impressive foursome, one that Rush cheerfully refers to as "the stamp collection". Love it.

Let's pause for a moment and really think about why those four Oscar winners were there. There was good publicity, yes, but there was no real reason other than them openly supporting the Australian film industry and trying to send out a message to audiences that it's still worth seeing locally-made films.

Kudos should be given to Kidman, Blanchett, Rush and Crowe for really giving back to the industry which nurtured them – and in such a genuine way. They didn't have to be there, they chose to be there and with Crowe taking on the role as host (he replaced Hugh Sheridan at the last minute) it added gravitas to the event which in previous years has been struggling to capture the attention of Australians, hence the restructure of the ceremony and the name change from the AFIs.

What was particularly striking at this year's ceremony was the warmth and camaraderie between our biggest acting exports. The usually shy Kidman let down her hair to engage in a cheeky exchange with Crowe about the first time they met in Darlinghurst.

As the awards ceremony rolled on, there were pockets of raw emotion among the winners, particularly those from the hit film The Sapphires. Seeing someone with the international stature of Nicole Kidman greet Jessica Mauboy as she arrived in stage in a state of shock, after winning best supporting actress for her role in The Sapphires, was a truly beautiful moment.

Having both Kidman and Crowe standing in the shot behind Mauboy as she gave her speech was actually a powerful statement about their support for the industry and their acknowledgement of an emerging generation of young, talented stars.

Crowe, who was of course born and raised in New Zealand, has worked and lived in Australia for decades and became an Australian citizen six years ago. His support for the local industry has been unwavering and notable throughout his career, despite the lure and riches of Hollywood. Kidman, Blanchett and Rush have, to their credit, always done the same.

When the trio of Crowe, Blanchett and Rush appeared on stage together at the AACTAs for the presentation of the best film award it was suitably breathtaking.

At the end of the night, Crowe spoke directly to the cameras and asked Australian families to pause next time they're at the cinema and think about watching an Australian film. It's this kind of heartfelt vocal support from our biggest stars that may just give our film industry a much-needed image boost among audiences.